The Face Behind the Text
by fiendofspace
Summary: Dave hadn't confided in anyone before; until he met Karkat, that is. Now he's about to meet his internet friend face-to-face, and he has no idea what to say to the only other person who knows anything about him. Pale DaveKat oneshot, rated T for language. Fanfic request from tumblr user ohgodwhoseroomsarethese.


You can't quite put your finger on exactly how you're feeling. Scared, nervous, or simply apprehensive? Whatever it is, you know that it's your solemn duty as a Strider to completely disregard it.

But you can't. You'd never really confided in anyone before; until you'd met Karkat, that is. Every day, you keep up the cool guy facade. It's taxing, really. And as much as it pains you to admit, you're really glad that you have him for a friend. Or, as he's mentioned before, a best friend.

He's an obnoxious asshole, but he's a damn good listener when he needs to be. Even though he was obviously prone to being thrown into fits of rage at a moment's notice, it was strangely easy to talk to him. It all seemed so impersonal, talking over the internet. And that was just how you liked it.

And now you're sitting anxiously at your desk, running your fingers through your hair as you re-read the most recent Pesterchum exchange that you've had with him. It's mostly a wall of chronically caps-locked gray text, of course. That wordy fuck sure likes to ramble when there's nothing else important going on.

Your eyes catch on the last few lines of text in the pesterlog.

TG: no shut up

TG: i have to go man

TG: ill pester you tomorrow or something

CG: WAIT, HOLD ON ONE SECOND.

TG: what

CG: DO YOU HAVE WEBCAM CAPABILITIES?

TG: the fuck

TG: youre movin too fast on me bro

CG: OH, FUCK YOU.

CG: I JUST MEAN THAT I GUESS YOU'RE TOLERABLE AND I WANT TO SEE THAT MY FRIEND ISN'T JUST OBNOXIOUS RED TEXT.

TG: well shit

TG: you discovered my secret

TG: im actually a robot

CG: THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT, YOU IDIOT.

CG: FINE, IT'S A LOUSY IDEA. FORGET ABOUT IT.

TG: nah its cool

TG: ill be on skype at 8 tomorrow

TG: dont be late princess

CG: GODDAMMIT, YOU'RE INSUFFERABLE.

TG: pretty much

CG: I HATE YOU.

TG: cool

It's 7:58 PM.

You know what it is you're feeling now. You're anxious. You're glad that you get to talk to the guy who may just be your best bro for the first time. But at the same time, you're worried. A few weeks back, Karkat had been the only one who responded to the angsty, pathetic post that you made on tumblr. He offered to listen and, foolishly, you'd accepted. And you'd told him everything that was on your mind. It sickens you sometimes to remember that moment of weakness.

8 PM on the dot.

You exit out of Pesterchum and open Skype. The only other person online is Rose. Not the first person you wanted to talk to, but it was better than staring at a blank screen and waiting for a contact request.

Dave: sup rose

Rose: Hello, Dave. How are you doing this evening?

Dave: not bad

Dave: not doing a hell of a lot

Dave: listening to music

Dave: waiting for a call

Rose: Oh? From whom, exactly?

Dave: a friend

Dave: my stomach feels weird

Dave: like i swallowed a bunch of mexican jumping beans

Dave: and theyre all down there having a fiesta or something

Rose: That was a horrible analogy. You're not exactly on your game tonight, are you?

Dave: what are you talking about

Dave: im always on my game

Rose: Right. So what about this "friend" of yours?

Dave: no

Dave: get rid of those quotes

Dave: hes not a "friend" hes a friend

Dave: jegus

Dave: i met him online.

Rose: That's a bit risky.

Dave: oh fuck that i met you and john and jade online too

Rose: No arguments there. Just keep it at that, will you? I'd hate to be the one to tell John that you're cheating.

Dave: no shut up

Dave: oh shit

Dave: gotta go

Your computer beeps as you type a final message to Rose; you quickly pull up the contact screen, accepting the contact request without hardly glancing at it.

Moments later, you receive a message.

K4RKL3S :] : DAVE.

Dave: what the hell is your screen name even supposed to mean

K4RKL3S :] : WHAT.

K4RKL3S :] : OH FOR FUCK'S SAKE.

Karkat: THERE. MY IDIOT GIRLFRIEND MESSED WITH MY SKYPE.

Dave: its cool

Karkat: SO ARE WE DOING THIS?

Dave: yeah one second

You click the "video call" button at the top of Karkat's profile and lean back in your chair as you hear Skype's dumb dial tone begin to ring. As you're listening to the repetitive beeping and wondering if Karkat is ever going to answer, you realize that you don't actually know what he looks like. There were no photos of him on his tumblr, none in the tags either. Hell, there weren't even any shitty camera phone-quality pictures. You don't really know what to expect.

All at once, the ringing stops and the screen crackles to life. Your computer screen is taken up with a pixelated form that is growing clearer by the second. Once the camera is adjusted, you see him: messy black hair, dark eyes, somewhat hardened expression. This is the only person you have ever confided in, other than your brother. And you're not sure what to say.

There are a few seconds of silence as the two of you quickly evaluate each other. Then, Karkat speaks. "So you aren't a robot," he says in a voice lighter than you expected. "That's good."

"It's a relief, isn't it," you respond sarcastically, feeling the nervousness slowly ebb away.

He's silent for a minute. "I don't really know what to say."

"Wow, way to make it awkward."

"It's only awkward if you make it awkward!" he responds, agitation creeping into his voice.

"Okay, fine, chill," you reply, putting your hands up in defeat.

There's another few seconds of silence, which you use to adjust your shades so that you can see the screen better. He looks like he's about to ask why you're wearing sunglasses indoors, but he doesn't.

"Okay, well..." starts Karkat. "I guess that apart from making sure that my best friend is actually human, I want to say that I know that you've been through a ton of shit that you shouldn't have to deal with, and that you can talk to me whenever you need to." He's been looking away from the camera for a while now, but now he turns his attention to it so that he's looking right at you. "Okay?"

You successfully stifle a grin by twisting it into a sort of smirk. "Alright, thanks man."

Despite your previous doubts, you know that you'll be happy with this friendship.

* * *

**Hello, thank you for reading this fic! **

**Special thanks to tumblr user ohgodwhoseroomsarethese for requesting pale DaveKat. **

**Reviews are always welcome! **

**- fiendofspace **


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